Are you an educator looking for the best possible position in early childhood?

Here's a place to start. Depending on your location, education, and experience, you may or may not have many options right now, but chances are, if you want to work in early childhood education as a teacher, you'll have the upper hand when interviewing due to severe shortages in most places.

one

Start Talking

Talk to everyone you know who is a teacher, has children, or knows child care. Look on the internet and make some calls. Discover which programs are considered high quality in your area through word of mouth.

In this industry, it's best to not be taken in by fancy websites or great-sounding claims on the internet. Wait until you actually talk to the director and see the program for yourself to be sure it lines up with what it says on the site.

two

Start a Chart

You can make your own, with your priorities listed, or use the one I made here. If you click on the chart, you can copy the one I made from Canva.

three

Set up interviews.

You may be able to use some information from your initial phone calls to fill in a few sections in the chart but do it in pencil. You may change your mind after you see the program in person.

Keep in mind that you're better off not interviewing at all or turning a job down if the job you're interviewing for is below your qualifications. Since, in this field, it's sometimes hard to move up from the title and pay scale you begin with, you want to be sure you start with a title that suits your qualifications.

four

Interview

Make sure to relax, be yourself, and ask questions based on the chart you've made during the interviews. Bring your resume with you unless you've already provided one.

Now all of your work is done, and all you have to do is wait to hear from the employers, and make your decision according to your heart and the chart!

Best of Luck!

If you're an early childhood professional or a parent who wants to make the world a better place through early childhood education, and you want to find others who feel the same way, join us here. When you do you'll immediately get our most popular publication, Magic Words, How To Get Kids To Listen And Like It. It includes 22 phrases that work for teachers and parents alike!

Nanci J Bradley is an early childhood and family educator, parent, grandparent, author, teacher, family aerobics instructor, and an all-around fun-loving person. She believes in the power of sleep, healthy eating, lifelong learning, and most of all, PLAY!  She studied early childhood education at Triton College and received her BS in education in 1986 from NIU. She received her MA in human development from Pacific Oaks College in

2010. She's presented at national and state early childhood conferences. She lives and teaches in Madison WI.